Self-sealing cap for collapsible tubes



y 4, 1956 w. H. GODFREY 2,755,974

SELF-SEALING CAP FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed Sept. 18, 1952 LAST".

1 INVENTOR. a MLL/AM hi 6 001-75) ZQZ/ W FZ'TOR/VEY United States Patent This invention relates'to'a new and improved cap for collapsible tubes .and more particularly to'"a self-sealing cap for collapsible tubes.

'It is ap'rincipal object of .the present invention to' provide a cap for a collapsible tube which cap is normally resiliently retained in c'l'osed pos'it'ion, and which is urged into open lpositionbypressure on 't'he'tube.

Another object of the present invention is "to i-provide :a highly improved'se'lf-sealing cap for'ia c'o'llapsible'tube whichimay'be reused with new'tubes.

Stillanother object of the presentiuventionis toprovide a highly improved self-sealing cap for a collapsible tube which may be reused With new-tubes. 7

Still another'object of thepresent invention 'is to provide a cap for coll-aps'ibletubes wherein the single manipulation iofvpressing the tube operates :to open the cap, extrudeuthe desired amount of contents'tfrom the-tube, .and close theicap.

Yet another object of the present'inventioniis -to ip'rovide self-sealing caps for collapsible :tubes from which .foreign particles may be easily and :quickly removed.

It is .a further object of the present:invention do provide a-iself-sealing cap for collapsible tubes which islsimpleand durable, which is efiective for its intended purposes, .and which .can the manufactured and sold lat-a reasonabl'etcost.

The' invention consists in the features of construction,

combinations of elements and arrangement of paiits, which will be exemplified .in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will"be indicated by the claims. k

For zother -Iobjects .and for a better =understanding'of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device constructed in accordance with the present invention, showing the method of operation;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in section, taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevational view of the cap in closed position, and showing a collapsible tube in dotted outline;

Fig. 4 is an exploded view, showing in perspective the parts of the self-sealing cap;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevational view of a slightly modified form of self-scaling cap, showing a collapsible tube in dotted outline;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing the cap of Fig. 5 in operative position;

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevational view of another slightly modified form of self-sealing cap, showing a collapsible tube in dotted outline;

Fig. 8 is a sectional View taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is an elevational view, partly in section, of another slightly modified form of the device.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 10 represents a self-sealing cap which is adapted for attachment to a collapsible tube 11 for extrusion of the tube of the cylindrical member.

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contents 12, such as tooth paste, by manually cifec'te'tl pressure. I g V g The cap 10 comprises a cylindrical member or body "13 which is preferably molded of plastic but which'may be formed of any suitable material. Adjacent one "end-of the cylindrical :member 13 are formed internal screw threads 14 for receiving the threaded neck 15 of'the't ube 11. Of course, the threads'14 may be of various'si'zes-for attachment to tubes having different sized necks. In-

' wardly of :the threaded portion 14 is formed an-intern'al shoulder 16, which may or may not be integral wi'ththe cylindrical member 13. An annular :groove'17 is formed on .the inner surface 18 of the shoulder I6 for'receivinfg one end'of a tubular member 19.. The tubular member 19 Ihas'its end fixedly secured inthe groove 17, as by glue or other suitable means, and is preferably fabricated "of rubber or other flexible resilient material.

Also having one end extending into base 18 of'shoulder 16 is a res'ilientstrip'Zi). The resilient strip '20 is fixedly secured in shoulder 16 intermediate cylindrical rnember13 and tubular member 19, and normally curves transversely The free end 21 of strip20 is bent outwardly toward cylindrical member 13 t'o'form .an abutment or nub 22.

Extending transversely through cylindrical "member 1?, .remote from the threaded portion 14 thereof, .is aislot23 which extends's'lightly more than half way aroundthe cylindrical member. A closure or plate 24 extends through slot 123 and is slidable therein foropeningand closing the free' end of cylindriual member '13. On the inner surface of'plate 24 isa projection .or .lug 25 which extends inwardly between nub 22 and the exteriorfior tubular member 19. Thus, nub 22 bears against ltigZS 'to'urge' plate124 in closing'relation with respect to .cy lindrical'mcmber'13 and in turn lug 25'bears against tubular member 19 to close -or pinch the latter .uponclo'si'ng movement of plate 24, as shown in Fig. 3.

'In order to open thelcap 10,'it is necessary to reverse the above'procedure, by applying pressure to tube "11 which urges the tubular member 19 outwardly againstlug 25 to open plate 24 against the pressure of strip 2%). Upon removal of pressure from tube '11, it is seen that the cap will -automatically:reseal itself.

{A -slightly modified form of self-sealing cap is'shown inFigs. 5*an'd 6, "wherein 'a cylindrical mem'b'er 3'0"is formed with one end closed, as at 31, and provided with an internally-threaded portion 32 adjacent the other end. The internally-threaded portion 32 is adapted to receive the threaded neck of collapsible tube 11, in the same manner as the first described form of the invention. Internally, the cylindrical member 30 is formed with a shoulder 33 which tapers toward the threaded portion 32. An opening 34 extends through the cylindrical member 30 adjacent the shoulder 33 to form an outlet for the contents of tube 11. Mounted within the cylindrical member 30 is a valve body or piston 35 which is provided with a split packing ring 36. The valve body 35 is formed with a conical surface 37 which is adapted to seat upon the tapering shoulder 33. Thus, upon sliding reciprocal movement of the valve body 35 within the cylinder 30, the aperture 34 will be opened and closed, as will its communication with the interior of tube 11. it is preferred to dispose a compression spring 38 intermediate the valve body 35 and the end wall 31 for urging the valve body into closing relation with respect to aperture 34. While it is appreciated that an air cushion could be formed by cylindrical member 30, end wall 31 and valve body 35 it is preferred to form the wall 31 with an air outlet 39 whereby the force necessary to move the valve body 35 is determined solely by the resilience of spring 38.

The operation of the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is 3 similar to that of the first described form and requires only manual pressure upon the collapsible tube 11.

In Figs. 7 and 8, there is shown another slightly modified form of the invention, wherein a cylindrical member 40 is provided adjacent one end with an internally threaded portion 41 and on the other end is formed with a wall 42. Intermediate the ends of cylindrical member 40 is a longitudinally extending slot 43 for a purpose hereinafter described. Slidable longitudinally of and within cylindrical member 40 is a piston 44 and a rod 45 having one end fixedly secured to the piston 44 and the other end extending through and beyond wall 42. On the periphery of piston 44 is a lug or projection 46 which extends into the slot 43. The lug 46 is slidable within slot 43 upon movement of piston 44. A cover 47 extends over wall 42 and surrounds cylindrical member 40 to close slot 43. The cover is fixedly secured to the projecting end of rod 45 and movable therewith. Thus upon movement of piston 44 toward wall 42 the cover 47 and lug 46 will open slot 43 for communication with the interior of tube 11. For urging the cover 47 into closing relation with respect to slot 43, a compression spring 48 is circumposed about rod 45 having one end in engagement with cylinder 44 and having the other end in engagement with wall 42. The form of Fig. 7 responds to manual pressure in the same manner as the above described device.

In Fig. 9 there is illustrated a form of the invention which is adapted for use with collapsible tubes in which the neck is not provided with a threaded portion. The cylindrical member 51 is slidably mounted on the neck 50 and is provided with an aperture 52, which aperture is opened and closed by the neck 50 upon sliding movement of the cylindrical member 51. On one end of cylindrical member 51 is an end wall or closure 53 which may be integral with the cylindrical member or fixedly secured thereto. Secured on the inner face of closure 53, by any suitable means, is an elastic strand 54, which is preferably fabricated of rubber. The other end of elastic strand 54 is secured within the tube 11 and preferably at the bottom thereof, as shown in Fig. 9.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A self-sealing cap for a collapsible tube comprising a cylindrical member adapted for threaded engagement at one end with the threaded neck of a collapsible tube, and having a slotted aperture at the other end, resilient conduit means securely retained within the cylindrical member and having one end thereof registered with the threaded neck to afford communication with the interior of the tube whereby there can be delivery of a substance from the tube through the cylindrical member without engagement with the inner surface thereof, a closure disk for slidable guidance during movement normal to the axis of the tubular member within the slotted aperture, said closure disk having an internal projection engaging the side of the resilient conduit means so as to make said closure disk responsive to the condition of the resilient conduit means and resilient means normally urging said closure disk toward its closing position.

2. A self-sealing cap for a collapsible tube comprising a cylindrical member adapted at one end for engagement with a threaded neck of the collapsible tube and having a circumferential slot at the other end, said cylindrical member having an annular abutment with a recess therein, resilient conduit means securely retained within the recess of the annular abutment in said cylindrical member and having one end thereof registered with the threaded neck to afford communication with the interior of the tube, a closure disk mounted in said slot for slidable movement normal to the cylindrical member axis, said disk having an internal projection engaging the side of the resilient tubular member, and a spring member securely retained in the annular abutment to engage cooperatively the projection on said closure disk to urge the disk into sealing the cylindrical member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 711,767 Hirschell Oct. 21, 1902 1,472,845 Kelley Nov. 6, 1923 1,753,665 Roos Apr. 8, 1930 1,948,070 Hasse et al Feb. 20, 1934 2,040,091 Koller May 12, 1936 2,040,638 Beck May 12, 1936 2,052,347 Graham Aug. 25, 1936 2,113,022 Hefti Apr. 9, 1938 2,140,247 Pazdernick Dec. 13, 1938 2,166,107 Holt July 18, 1939 2,598,482 Abrams May 27, 1952 2,605,026 Wagner July 29, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 281,227 Italy Jan. 5, 1931 246,397 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1947 

